Cotton-chopper.



G. W. WEBER.

COTTON CHOPPER.

APPLICATION mum no. 7, 1900.

969,757. Patented Sept. 6,1910.

\zall WITNESSES. INVENTOR (gar/e: W Weber mall/Ail u 1 ATTORNEY CHARLESWILE WEBER, OF MOGREGOR, TEXAS.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, 1910.

Application filed December 7, 1909. Serial No. 531,913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES WILE WEBER, a citizen of the United States,residing at McGregor, in the county of McLennan and State of Texas, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Cotton-Choppers, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in cotton choppers.Its object is to provide a cotton chopper, which will be adapted to choprows of cotton to a stand, leaving the proper intervals of space betweenthe resulting hills.

A further object is to provide a mechanism to accomplish this result,consisting in a number of oscillating hoes, adapted to be either raisedor lowered while in operation, and having resilient connections betweenthe hoe blades and shanks, permitting the former to be displaced onencountering an unyielding obstacle.

Finally, the object of the invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described, that will be strong, durable, simple and efficient,and comparatively easy to construct, and also one in which the variousparts will not be likely to get out of working order.

WVith these and various other objects in view my invention has relationto certain novel features of construction and operation, an example ofwhich is described in the following specification, and illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the cotton chopper, as seen from therear righthand side, portions of one of the gears and of one of thetransverse beams being broken away to reveal parts behind the same.Figs. 2 and 3 are detail vertical elevations of the resilientconnections between the hoe blades and the hoe shanks.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, wherein like numerals ofreference designate similar parts in all the figures, the numeral 1denotes the axle of the cotton chopper, upon the extremity of whichaxle, the transporting wheels 2 are rigid. A large sprocket Wheel 3 ismounted loose upon the axle, and is adapted to be made fast thereupon bya clutch 4t, controlled by a lever 5.

The sprocket wheel 3 is adapted by a chain 6 to communicate rotation toa smaller sprocket wheel 7, fast on a shaft 8, mounted transversely uponthe frame. Rotation is communicated from the shaft 8 to a shaft 9,mounted longitudinally upon the frame, by a pair of bevel gears 10 fastupon said shafts. Transverse beams 11 support bearings 12, in which theshaft 9 is rotatably mounted.

Upon each end of the shaft 9, a wheel 13 is mounted fast, and from eachwheel, there projects a pin 14 mounted near the wheel rim. These pinsproject into the slots 15 of slotted bars 16 fornnng the upper portionsof hoe shanks 17. In each of these shanks, is provided a hearing orjournal box 18, by which the shank is pivotally mounted upon a rod 19,extending longitudinally of the cotton chopper. The rod 19 has a rigideccentric connection at each extremity with a ring 20, being thusadapted to be adjusted vertically. To accomplish this verticaladjustment, rotation is communicated to the rings 20 by means of a crank21 upon the rear extremity of the rod 19. The rod 19 is restricted to avertical motion during this adjustment by pairs of upright bars 22,mounted at each end of the frame. Since the rings 20 cannot roll uponthe transverse beams 23 which support them, the base of support of eachring is shifted by rotation thereof, producing the desired verticaladjustment of the rod 19.

The hoe shanks 17 are each provided with a bifurcated lower extremity24, between the prongs of which is pivotally mounted a short shank 25carrying a blade 26. Upon the upper extremity of each shank 25, is atransverse rod 27, the extremities of which are connected by coiledsprings 28 with pins 29 projecting from the shank 17. By thisarrangen'ient, the hoe blades are adapted to swing back to some extentupon encountering a rock or other non-yielding obstacle. The strength ofthe springs 28 may be made sufficient to hold the blades firm for allordinary work.

It is apparent. from the above description and accompanyingillustration, that the forward motion of the transporting wheelsprodueesa rotation of the wheels 13, and that by means of the pins 14 acting inthe slots 15, this rotation is made to produce an oscillating motion ofthe hoe shanks, upon the rod 19 as a fulcrum.

Obviously the hoe mechanism might be multiplied in number as far asdesired, and various other changes are possible in the form andproportion of parts and details without departing from the spirit orsacrificing the advantage of my invention. I therefore reserve the rightto make such changes and alterations in said device as fairly comewithin the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is 1. In a cotton chopper, the combination with the frame,axle, and transporting wheels thereof, of a vertically adjustable rodextending longitudinally of the frame, a plurality of hoe shankspivotally mounted upon said rod, each shank having a slotted upperextremity, a wheel rotatably mounted adjacent to the slotted portion ofeach shank, a pin carried upon each wheel, entering the slot of theadjacent shank, a shaft upon which said wheels are mounted, mechanismadapted to communicate rotation to said shaft from the transportingwheels, means by which the operation of said mechanism may beinterrupted a hoe blade pivoted upon the lower extremity of each hoeshank, and resilient means by which the hoe blades are normally retainedin their working positions.

2. In a cotton chopper, the combination with the frame, axle, andtransporting wheels thereof, of a horizontal rod, extendinglongitudinally of the cotton chopper, rings resting upon the frame atthe extremities thereof, in which rings the rod is eccentricallymounted, means for manually rotating said rings, means for restrictingthe motion of the rod to a vertical direction, hoe shanks pivotallymounted upon said rod at their middle portions, the upper extremities ofsaid shanks being slotted, Wheels adapted to rotate ad acent to theslotted portions of said shanks, a pin carried by each of said wheels,projecting into the slot of the adjacent hoe shank, a shaft mountedlongitudinally of the cotton chopper, upon which said wheels are fast,mechanism adapted to communicate rotation to said shaft from thetransporting Wheels, and blades carried by the hoe shanks.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

F. H. JoHNsoN, E. W. CROUCH.

